Norm Smith, Mark Harvey, Micky Arthur — the sackings no-one expected

IT WAS the sacking Carlton player Mitch Robinson didn’t expect, but he’s not the first person to be caught by surprise.

Robinson’s manager said the Blues utility was “surprised and a little disappointed” when told on Tuesday his services were no longer needed.

But Robinson joins a long list of people in the sporting, celebrity and political world who didn’t see their sacking coming.

Here are a few of them.

Former Melbourne coach Norm Smith.Source:News Corp Australia

Norm Smith

It might be hard to imagine now, but in the 1950s and 1960s Melbourne was the most successful club in the then VFL. The Demons won six premierships between 1955-64. After winning the flag in 1964, Smith Demons had a 9-3 win-loss record after 12 rounds of the 1965 season.

But behind the scenes Smith, who legendary football journalist Mike Sheehan describes as an “independent, headstrong, fiery redhead” was on a collision course with club officials.

Sheehan says: “He was seen to be insubordinate, reportedly refusing to affirm to his players his faith in the men who not only ran the MCC and the MCG, but governed the football club, then merely a section of the cricket club.”

Norm Smith reads the letter telling him of his dismissal at his Pascoe Vale home.Source:Supplied

In the 1950s equivalent of a text message dumping a courier delivered a letter to Smith’s home announcing the news. Smith was reinstated days later, but the relationship never was the same and the club only won one more game that year.

Former Fremantle coach Mark Harvey.Source:News Limited

Mark Harvey

It was the sacking no-one saw coming. Mark Harvey led Fremantle to the finals in 2010 and in 2011 the club was devastated by injuries. On the morning of September 15, 2011 Mark Harvey addressed a Fremantle Football Club breakfast. That afternoon he turned up for what he thought was a routine meeting with club officials. Harvey, who had a year to run on his contract, was unexpectedly sacked and left shattered. Freo announced the next day that Ross Lyon would take over as coach.

With just three weeks to go before the first test of the 2013 Ashes series Australian coach Micky Arthur was sensationally sacked. Months earlier Australia had lost a series 4-0 India and Arthur had axed four players for disciplinary reasons. While in England, Australian batsman David Warner punched his English counterpart Joe Root at a bar. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said: “Discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability for performance are all key ingredients that need to improve. And we see that the head coach is ultimately responsible for that.”

Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy at press conference to announce he will be leaving the club at the end of the season after 27 years at the helm.Source:News Limited

Kevin Sheedy

One of the great AFL/VFL coaches, Kevin Sheedy led the Bombers to four premierships in a 634 game coaching career between 1981-2007. After winning the premiership in 2000, Sheedy led the Bombers to another four finals appearances. But in 2005 the club dropped to 13th and followed narrowly missed the wooden spoon in 2006. On the 25th of July 2007 with Essendon still in contention for the finals, it was announced that Sheedy’s contract would not be renewed.

Actor Charlie Sheen. Photo: Bruce Gifford/FilmMagicSource:Supplied

Charlie Sheen

He was the highest-paid actor on television and the star of one of the most popular shows, reportedly earning $1.2 million per episode. But behind the scenes Charlie Sheen had a drug problem.

Sheen entered treatment after being hospitalised with severe abdominal pain following 36 hours of drinking, partying with porn actors and receiving what a witness said was “a briefcase full of cocaine” at his home. While undergoing rehab, Sheen had a public feud with the show’s creator.

But his dismissal was a shock. Warner Bros announced the move in a statement: “After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on Two and a Half Men, effective immediately. There is ample evidence supporting Warner Bros reasonable good faith opinion that Mr Sheen has committed felony offences involving moral turpitude (including but not limited to furnishing of cocaine to others as part of the self-destructive lifestyle he has described publicly) that have ‘interfere[d] with his ability to fully and completely render all material services required’ under the agreement.”

Brendan Fevola at the 2009 Brownlow Medal count.Source:Supplied

Brendan Fevola

In 2009 Brendan Fevola won his second Coleman medal after booting 86 goals, eight more than any other player. But his antics at that year’s Brownlow Medal, which came after a series of behavioural indiscretions, saw him sacked by the Blues. Fevola later played for Brisbane and was again sacked after he lost the trust of the playing group after further poor behaviour.

He was a triple premiership hero who like to do things his own way. Jason Akermanis’s career at Brisbane came to an end in after criticising the coach’s tactics in a newspaper column. He moved to the Western Bulldogs where his career came to an inglorious halt in 2010 when he was sacked after a series of run-ins with the club.

Former Carlton player Josh BootsmaSource:Supplied

Josh Bootsma

He was the young footy star with the world at his feet. Josh Bootsma was sacked after allegedly propositioning a young fan for sex within 15 minutes of connecting on social media.

One of the women at the centre of the scandal says the 21-year-old sent her explicit images, constantly asked her around to his house and told her he was not in a relationship even though his girlfriend was pregnant. Carlton football operations manager Andrew McKay said Bootsma had lost the players’ trust after a series of indiscretions in the past year.

Eric Stoltz

Can you imagine Marty McFly in Back to the Future not being played by Michael J Fox? For five weeks it was Eric Stoltz who played McFly, but he lost the part after Fox became available to play the role. It was the role that kicked off Fox’s famous career.

Jean-Claude van Damme was originally cast to play the Predator in the film of the same name. But it was decided Van Damme was not right for the role and Kevin Peter Hall was chosen instead.

Derryn Hinch on 3AW.Source:News Limited

Derryn Hinch

He was the controversial broadcaster who has been our radios and television sets for years. In 2012 after a decade as host of 3AW’s Drive program Hinch was sacked in a decision that shocked Melbourne. It wasn’t the first time Hinch has been sacked. He’s been told his services are no longer required more than 10 times in his 50-year media career.

Technically this one is not a sacking. In 2007 Kevin Rudd led Labor out of the political wilderness, becoming the first Labor Prime Minister in more than a decade. Mr Rudd enjoyed early popularity in the polls, but towards the end of his first term things changed. By mid-2010 Mr Rudd was slipping in the polls and his colleagues were unhappy with his leadership style. Late on the evening of June 23 2010 Julia Gillard announced she would challenge for the leadership of the Labor Party. Rudd resigned as Prime Minister.